J.J. Abrams

One of the most anticipated shows of the fall is Fox’s “Fringe,” a high-concept, pulse-pounding, “X-Files”-like drama from J.J. Abrams, the man who helped bring into the world dense, complex shows such as “Lost” and “Alias.”

But Abrams is promising that, unlike those series, “Fringe” won’t feel like homework. He learned his lesson, he said, after watching an episode of “Alias” at a friend’s house and struggling to keep up with what was going on.

â€œLiterally, it was impenetrable,â€ he told critics at television’s summer press tour.

He absolutely assures us — and we’ll hold him to it — that “Fringe” will take a stand-alone procedural approach. Not only that, it will follow a clear-cut path to a preordained finish line.

â€œWe believe it is possible to do a show that has an overall story and end game — and this show absolutely does â€¦ but also a show that you donâ€™t have to watch Episodes 1, 2 and 3 to watch Episode 4,â€ he said.

While Abrams insists he loved working on â€œAlias,â€ he said he can see how it was “difficult” for a lot of viewers.

â€œThis show is going to have a different paradigm,â€ he insisted. â€œWeâ€™re trying very diligently to do a show that doesnâ€™t require the kind of insane, absolute dedication to a series that, if you miss an episode, you truly have no idea what’s going on.”